


Crash

by Caori



Series: Moirai [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Because I can, Depression, First Meetings, Gen, Loneliness, Original Character(s), Social Anxiety, also french!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:47:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27212929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caori/pseuds/Caori
Summary: A mysterious young man, in an empty house.The stuffiness of summer heat, the chitter of birds, a heavy silence. Then the sound of broken glass, and the beginning of something.
Series: Moirai [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1986730
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Crash

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline: Arc 1 - Outside

The young man awoke sluggishly, the wooden ceiling of his living room slowly coming into focus above him. He groaned in discomfort, his clothes and long, dark brown hair damp, beads of sweat rolling down his temples and neck to fall on the couch under him. The air was too warm, the kind of humid, heavy heat that made you want to crawl into a freezer and stay there for a few hours. Mars shifted, turning to lay on his side, the crick in his neck from the awkward position he’d fallen asleep in the day before making him wince- he _hated_ summer.

From the way orange light shone through the living room window, it couldn’t have been later than seven in the morning. Yet it already felt so warm and stuffy, like a mischievous giant had trapped the property under a glass dome.

When had he fallen asleep? What had he been doing? He could barely muster the energy to remember.

The young man usually prided himself on his strict daily routine, but there were times where he just… gave up on it. Waking up one day feeling like nothing he’d do really mattered, and that he’d rather just stay in bed until the sun went away. Those times could last from just a few days to entire weeks.

Now was one of those times- waking and sleeping at the oddest hours, staying prone on his bed or the living room couch as the light shifted and his stomach protested... He wasn’t sure how long he’d spent in that foggy state, the days always started to blend together after the first two or three.

When had been the last time he’d _done_ anything? Other than the usual pattern of wake-bathe-eat-read-eat-read some more-tend to the garden-eat-bathe-sleep?

It felt like years. It probably had. He was getting sick of reading the same books over and over again. So tired...

He blinked- the garden. The heat. The greenhouse had an automated watering system, but…

He struggled to push himself up, groaning as his bones cracked. He set his feet on the carpet under the couch and stood up, his tall frame looming and swaying. “Wow,” he mumbled as his head spun and his knees almost buckled, blood slowly flowing up to his brain again- his stomach growled and ached. Okay. Maybe… maybe he’d eat something later today. There were still crackers in the pantry, right...? _Not now._ _Greenhouse. Have to check on them..._

Oh stars, how long had it been? He’d never left them unattended for so long, and in the middle of a heat wave- he felt guilt and anxiousness claw at his chest as he half-stumbled down the corridor leading to the back entrance, walking by mirrors covered by thin white sheets.

***

Early morning light bathed the greenhouse in a warm orange glow, the sounds of sprinklers working away mixing with the chirps and caws of the various birds that called this place home.

Mars strutted down the garden, passing through the rows of colorful flowers and lush green plants- _four, five- ah, here’s the one with the chipped beak…_ visiting ravens and crows, robins, a lone cockatiel he suspected must’ve escaped from somewhere the month before… all seemed calm and healthy, despite the intense heat. Now for the latest residents.

He reached the end of the glasshouse and entered a little fenced-off area, breathing out a sigh of relief as he watched three young parakeets play around a sprinkler, pecking and flapping at the water flying out of the jet.

Looked like everyone was accounted for.

The biggest one -Blue, as Mars had called him in a burst of nonexistent inspiration- tilted his head as the human closed the entrance behind him and approached, spreading his spotted, dark grey wings to jump and fly up, landing on a shoulder. He then proceeded to nibble on a lock of brown hair that had fallen out of Mars’ messy bun. “Hey- ow! Okay, okay-” the human chuckled, gently pushing the offending beak away from his face and guiltily eyeing the almost empty food dispenser hanging from the wall. “I know, I know… Haven’t been the best caretaker lately, have I.”

The young man sighed, sitting down on the grass as Blue, Soleil and Hugo all made themselves at home in his hair and on his shoulders. “I’ll order you guys more food today, I promise.” Actually…

He peered around- bird food wasn’t the only thing on his plate it seemed. Some of the plants had started to grow in places they weren’t supposed to, some needed serious trimming or looked droopy and dry, dead leaves were littering the pathways… Mars groaned- he’d _really_ left the area go to the dogs, huh. He was usually very diligent about maintaining it, keeping everything neat and healthy… it made him feel like he was doing something _right_ , and good, making all this life flourish. 

_Instead of damaging it. Hurting it. Destroying it._

Mars shook his head- he needed to pull himself out of that state, if only for their sake. He’d done it plenty of times before, he could do it again! This time was just... lasting a _bit_ longer than usual. It was fine.

He gently shooed the little menaces away, getting back on his feet- there was work to be done.

  
  


***

  
  


He plopped down on the grass gracelessly and let himself fall backwards, laying in the shade- he was flushed, panting, his limbs trembling from the exertion. He let out an annoyed huff- true, he’d never been much in shape, often sickly and bedridden- but this was ridiculous. If Cecil was here he’d probably berate him for neglecting his physical activity, or something of that caliber.

The sun was higher now- most likely around ten. The heat was getting more intense, and it would only get worse from then. Well, at least he’d made good progress: the greenhouse now was free of weeds and stray leaves, plants trimmed to the best of his ability… he’d even discovered a nest full of tiny, newborn shrews somewhere in a patch of tall grass. He’d left it untouched, setting up a few reflective disks on strings to hang around it to ward off potential predators. 

Like Lune, the brown barred owl that sometimes paid the greenhouse a visit during the night. _No baby mice for you Lune, sorry about that._

Mh. His nose scrunched distastefully- he was drenched in sweat, in clothes he’d been wearing for several days if he wasn’t mistaken, and the smell wouldn't get any better with time. He brought a hand to his face to wipe his brow and upper lip, reflexively cringing when his fingers brushed against the uneven skin around his eyes. Maybe he’d take a shower after ordering the bird’s food. Maybe the cool water would wash this sticky, heavy fatigue away. Maybe-

A loud crash snapped him out of his thoughts. He yelped in startled surprise, sitting up in a panic as the one of the glass panels above him _exploded_ , glass flying everywhere and in his direction.

Mars curled in on himself, teeth clenched and eyes coming alight- violet lines flared on the skin around his eyes, strands of hair floating up and swaying as if submerged in water. Everything seemed to slow down ; glass shards glimmered in the sun, now unmoving. Something red- a figure? It was screaming, why was it screaming- came into view, coming closer and closer to the ground- and then the scream was cut off abruptly when the figure landed with a dull _thump,_ right in his poinsettias.

Then suddenly, silence. Heavy, so thick you could’ve cut the air with a knife. The constant chatter of the birds, gone. The glass shards, previously frozen in midair, now scattered in the grass. 

And there, in the middle of a perfect circle of untouched ground, Mars slowly let the situation dawn on him.

The young man stood up shakily, the scarred skin on his face now free of glowing lines. His gaze set on the red-clad figure laying a few meters away, he took a few hesitant steps forward then stopped right in his tracks, dumbfounded. That… was most definitely a _person_.

A person. A _person_. He hadn’t seen another human being in so long, let alone interacted with one in any meaningful way- Cecil didn’t count, the doc barely emoted anything beyond mild annoyance and disappointment. 

Why was there a person here? Why had they crashed through his room and what was he even supposed to _do_ or say in a situation like this, what if they were dead and he now had a dead body in his home and then the police would get involved and oh god he was hyperventilating-

The person groaned, hissing in obvious pain before opening their eyes, blinking dazedly. Then their head rolled to the side, and frightened, slitted golden eyes met a pair of dark green confused ones.

“...Uuh.” they croaked out. “Hi.”

“ _Putain de nom de Dieu !_ ”

**Author's Note:**

> alright. the very first chapter of the original story i've been working on for a year. it's far from done, but i wanted to post the chapters somewhere more... *friendly* than tumblr. this site sucks for writers.
> 
> i'll post each chapter as its own work in the series, because i don't write them in order and i want to be able to just... slide them in as i write them.
> 
> i dont expect anyone to read this. not under that tag. but i just thought i'd post it in a place that's more easy on the eyes than the blue hellsite.
> 
> also! here's my main baby, drawn by ramvur666 on twitter  
> 


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